The Girl of the Golden West | Louisville.com The Girl of the Golden West Kentucky Opera continues the BROWN-FORMAN 2014-15 SEASON with a company premiere of Puccini's THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST (LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST), opera's first "Spaghetti Western." From the Italian master who wrote LA BOHÈME, MADAME BUTTERFLY, and TURANDOT, Puccini considered THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST his greatest work. It made its highly publicized world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in 1910. For the Kentucky Opera premiere on Friday, November 14 at 8pm and Sunday November 16 at 2pm, single tickets start at $34 and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting KYOpera.org. The work set in a frontier town during the 1849 Gold Rush, where Minnie, a bible preaching, poker-playing, pistol-wielding, saloon owner finds herself in a love triangle with a handsome outlaw, Dick Johnson, and the sheriff, Jack Rance, who is determined to bring him to justice.

One of the reasons this work has never been produced by Kentucky Opera is the magnitude of the physical production. Kentucky Opera general director, David Roth, says, “We are using the set from Nashville Opera’s 2012 production. Instead of traditional sets, this one uses high-tech rear projections – giving the production a very cinematic quality.” Roth continues, “The piece requires three epic sets, each quite expansive and distinct. The Polka Saloon is first, and it has to be huge, with ten principal singers and a chorus. Act Two, is set in Minnie’s cabin, the smallest and easiest of the sets, but you still want the Sierra snow coming down outside the windows. Then the final set is high up on a mountain vista – where the cinematic screen projections add a feel of vastness and mountain majesty.” Who’sWho: Artist: Michelle Johnson makes her Kentucky Opera debut with her first attempt at the role of Minnie. What they are saying: “…At all times there was sense of naturalness, as though she was discovering the joys of life and love for the first time. I was impressed not only by her outstanding vocal beauty, but the spontaneity of her characterization.

A truly great performance!" David Lindauer of Capital Gazette, on Ms. Johnson’s performance as Mimi in Annapolis Opera’s LA BOHÈME. Character: Minnie Owner of “The Polka” saloon, her charm wins the affection of all those around her, but she’s only interested in the outsider, Dick Johnson, who also happens to be an outlaw. Artist: Jonathan Burton returns for the second time this season to perform the role of the outlaw Dick Jonson. What they are saying: “The possessor of a bronze-hued herfty tenor, made an explosive event out of his assignment by dominating the score’s challenges with seemingly wild abandon.” By Daniel Vasquez on Jonathan Burton’s performance of Prince Calaf in Sarasota Opera’s TURANDOT. Character: Dick Johnson (AKA Ramerrez) An outlaw passing through town when he falls for the local Polka owner, Minnie. He receives a second chance while on the run. Artist: Franco Pomponi makes his Kentucky Opera debut in the role of Jack Rance.

What they are saying: "In the title role [Hamlet] Franco Pomponi proved sublime: a beautiful baritone voice, not too dark, and suited to the role, excellent technique, he has hard-hitting vocals and rich colors, the skill of an dramatic actor and a very handsome physique that have allowed him to be fully in the part." Mirko Bertolini of Teatre.it on Pomponi’s performance in HAMLET at La Monnaie in Brussels. Character: Jack Rance the local town Sheriff. Despite wanting Minnie for himself, he plays by the rules of the Wild West when it comes to law, and remains true to his betting stakes, giving Dick Johnson a second chance. Cast Listing: The Girl of the Golden West – Composer The Girl of the Golden West – Composer The Girl of the Golden West – Composer Share Pin It Giacomo Puccini His full name was Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini . . . it was Italian tradition to include the names of your grandfathers on the birth certificate. Giacomo came from a long line of organists, composers and choir masters in Lucca, a small town in nothern Italy.

As a boy, Puccini was described as “lazy, slow, and a poor student,” who enjoyed only bird hunting. His mother, a single parent with seven children, forced him to study music. To help with family finances, Puccini began working at age 11 as a church organist, and later earned money by teaching piano and playing piano in Lucca’s taverns. Puccini saw his first opera at age 18. Too poor for train fare, he walked almost 20 miles to see Verdi’s AIDA in Pisa, and it changed his life: “I felt that a musical window had opened for me.” Puccini now knew he would not become a church musician like his father, but would turn to opera. He made plans to move to Milan, where the famous opera house, La Scala, was the new center of Italian opera. It took him four years to save enough money to enroll in Milan Conservatory. In Milan, Puccini was poor, but he met the most influential figures in Italian opera. To save money, he shared an apartment with several friends, and in later years, he would recall episodes of dodging bill collectors and playing piano in bars for food.

Puccini hated his landlord, who opened the tenants’ mail to collect rent before they could spend it. The students were not allowed to cook in their rooms, but were too poor to eat out, so while his friends cooked, Puccini played piano as loudly as possible to cover the kitchen sounds. In LA BOHÈME, the landlord would become the old buffoon, Benoit, and the young roommates would cheat him out of his rent. . . something Puccini wanted to do in his youth. Puccini wrote his first opera, LE VILLI, for an opera competition. The judges didn’t like it, but Giulio Ricordi, the most important publisher in Italy, liked it, and saw great promise in Puccini. He paid Puccini a stipend for several years, and stood by him through several attempts to write a successful opera. Ricordi believed that Puccini would become famous. He was right. He made a fortune as the publisher of the world’s most popular operas: TOSCA, LA BOHÈME, and MADAMA BUTTERFLY.

Some of Puccini’s most popular operas were composed around the turn of the century included LA BOHÈME in 1896, TOSCA in 1900, and MADAMA BUTTERFLY in 1904, an opera he based on a David Belasco play he’d seen in London. This would not be the first time that Puccini had inspiration from a Belasco play. Then came a long period when he searched for new subjects and yearned to write a different kind of opera. The result was a commission from America, on an American subject, to be premiered in New York for the Metropolitan Opera. Puccini was again inspired by a David Belasco play and subsequently wrote LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST (THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST), a tale of gold miners in the California gold rush. FANCIULLA had its premiere in 1910. He wrote four more operas before beginning TURANDOT in 1920. TURANDOT would prove to be an extremely difficult project for Puccini. In fact, he never completed the opera.

There were many problems: his librettists were slow, the story line required major rewriting, Puccini wanted it to be bigger than any of his other works and, worst of all, his health was failing. Throughout his life Puccini was never without his beloved cigars, and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1923. He had a fatal heart attack after surgery in Brussels, and died on November 29, 1924. Unlike most composers, Puccini died a wealthy man, with an estate valued at $24 million in today’s money. From 1850 to Puccini’s time, the opera business in Italy was like the Broadway musical scene of today: it was big business. Wealthy investors poured money into star performers and big productions, looking for the next hit show. In Italy, Giuseppe Verdi had been the reigning monarch of opera composers for over fifty years. He had just come out of a long retirement to compose OTELLO (1887) and FALSTAFF (1893), but he was already 80 years old. Italy was looking for Verdi’s successor, and Ricordi put his money on Puccini.

And by 1900, all the world knew that Puccini was the heir designate. Puccini wrote 12 operas with three of them, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA BOHÈME, and TOSCA easily qualifying as world class, all-time hits, that made the “top ten money makers” list. Add FANCIULLA, TURANDOT and MANON LESCAUT, and you have operas with a large portion of the most beautiful, most frequently sung arias ever written. Puccini was a master of composing beautiful tunes. Many are used in arias, but most are found woven into the score like threads in fabric. He uses melodies to describe action, individual characters, and emotions. Most of Puccini’s characters have their own themes, called motives, which portray them through music. Puccini searched long and hard for good subjects for his operas. He read scripts and traveled widely to see new plays and theatrical productions. He had an uncanny sense of drama and would not settle on one subject until he knew it would provide powerful, emotional theater.

Puccini once described himself as “more heart than mind,” and wrote once, “how can one compose what one does not feel?” With his great melodic gifts, Puccini controlled pacing and mood on stage. He never let things slow down. His favorite tool was contrast: he could instantly turn a scene from humorous to tragic, from lyric to dramatic. Puccini heroines are often tragic figures who are ultimately betrayed by the men in their lives. Floria Tosca is no exception. Her pact with Scarpia and his ultimate betrayal is a classic element in Puccini operas. Great interpreters of the role of Tosca include Emily Destinn and Maria Callas. Cavaradossi was often performed by legendary tenors like Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. Scarpia became the signature role for baritone Tito Gobbi. Learn much more about THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST The Girl of the Golden West The Girl of the Golden West Reviewed by Peter McCallum Frontier ... Anke Hoppner braves a brutal male world.

Photo: Branco Gaica PUCCINI wrote The Girl of the Golden West in 1910, well before the cinematic western had colonised the 20th century imagination with its own mythologies and archetypes. Puccini saw the work as a continuation of his previous representation of pure, strong women struggling to assert their own agency in a cold, brutal world that tried to debase them at every turn. It was, he said, "a second Boheme, only stronger, bolder and more spacious". Tosca might be a better comparison, given the willingness of the heroine, Minnie, to gamble everything, including her purity, for love. The difference, of course, is that Minnie wins, but that's American know-how for you. Nigel Jamieson's production copes with the distracting cinematic connotations by celebrating them in a stylised, ironic and humorous recreation of the black-and-white graininess of early film. Scott Otto Anderson has designed a visual world of cinematic images and cliches rendered with technical virtuosity by Mic Gruchy and flashed across Michael Scott-Mitchell's rough wood set, with its strong emphasis on perspective pointing to the pristine mountains beyond.

Advertisement Puccini also overlays the Catholic theme of redemption, which he was to attempt so unconvincingly in Suor Angelica, and this messy confusion of themes requires robust suspension of disbelief, though many are willing to do this for the quality of the score. Anke Hoppner gives a strong and forceful performance in the demanding role of Minnie with impressive stamina and a thrilling capacity to bring a ringing edge to top climactic notes. John Wegner as the Wyatt Earp-styled hard man of the law, Rance, who has lost his soul along the way, sings and struts with his customary implacability, as though his voice were laced with broken glass. Carlo Barricelli as Dick Johnson, the would-be reforming outlaw who doesn't understand that real men don't mix whisky and water, took the first act to warm up then blossomed in the second and third. Richard Anderson sang Ashby, the Wells Fargo agent, with rich mahogany sounds, and Barry Ryan and David Corcoran provided balanced support.

In the long list of cameos one should mention Dominica Matthews as Wowkle, the only other woman in this world of male toughness and woosiness, in the haunting but fake Indian song at the beginning of act 2, and Andrew Jones in the real one at the beginning of act 1. The conductor, Arvo Volmer, and the orchestra were fine indeed in Puccini's harmonically adventurous score, which points to the discoveries of Debussy. The all-male chorus took a little longer to reach its stride, with strained pitch from the tenors in act 1, although the depth of the set did not help them in creating a cohesive sound. It is strange to think that Humperdinck, the celebrated composer of fantasy opera, left the first New York performance thinking that the future of opera lay in such realism. Whose life is like this? Who would want it to be? Advertisement The Girl of the Golden West | opera by Puccini | Britannica.com The Girl of the Golden West opera by Puccini THIS IS A DIRECTORY PAGE. Britannica does not currently have an article on this topic.

Alternative Title: “La fanciulla del west” Learn about this topic in these articles: in Giacomo Puccini: Mature work and fame ...La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and La fanciulla del west (1910; The Girl of the Golden West). These four mature works also tell a moving love story, one that centres entirely on the feminine protagonist and ends in a tragic resolution. All four speak the... in opera: Later opera in Italy ...Illica which capitalized upon Puccini’s ability to portray sorrowing heroines in music. Returning closer to violent verismo, he next composed an opera to an American theme, La fanciulla del west (1910; “ The Girl of the Golden West”). Puccini died before finishing his last opera, Turandot (libretto by Adami and Renato...

Girls of the Golden West: Photographs from the Permanent Collection Special Exhibitions “Girls of the Golden West”: Photographs from the Permanent Collection This exhibition takes its name from a 1907 play written for the theater by David Belasco, “The Girl of the Golden West,” and later made into an opera by Giacomo Puccini in 1910, starring Enrico Caruso and Emmy Destinn. Belasco wrote a novel by the same title in 1911 and his play was made into four films. “Girls of the Golden West” was also a popular Western music singing duo in the 1930s and 1940s that took its name from Belasco’s play and Puccini’s opera. Sisters Mildred and Laverne Good were pioneers in Western music who claimed to hale from Muleshoe, Texas, but were actually farm girls born in Illinois. The exhibition will draw on the PPHM’s vast photographic collection to describe life for women on the Southern Plains. The multiculturalism of the Panhandle-Plains region and the different “folk islands” that existed here will be emphasized.

It will be featured in the Museum’s Alexander Photograph Gallery beginning March 1, 2014. web site by SINAPPS OPERA NEWS - The Girl of the Golden West The Girl of the Golden West LONDON English National Opera 10/2/14 Based on David Belasco’s once famous play The Girl of the Golden West, Puccini’s 1910 opera La Fanciulla del West has been attracting more attention in the UK of late. It was a 1977 production at the ... In order to view this article, you must be a subscriber. If you already have an account, please enter your username and password. Username: Puccini's 'The Girl of the Golden West' : NPR Puccini's 'The Girl of the Golden West' Puccini's 'The Girl of the Golden West' From Glimmerglass Opera Embed Embed Email August 17, 200712:01 AM ET In Puccini's Girl of the Golden West, Minnie shows Jack Rance that she's not a woman to be trifled with. They're played by Emily Pulley and Jake Gardner in a production from Glimmerglass Opera.

George Mott/Glimmerglass Opera hide caption toggle caption Aaron St. Clair Nicholson ... Sonora Craig Phillips ........................ Jake Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra Stewart Robertson, conductor Giacomo Puccini was never shy when it came to writing operas with exotic settings — or at least settings that seemed exotic to European audiences. Turandot is set in ancient China. Madame Butterfly is set in Japan, around 1900. The last act of Manon Lescaut takes place on a "vast, arid plain," which somehow turns up on the outskirts of New Orleans. Still, Puccini may have outdone himself with La Fanciulla del West — The Girl of the Golden West. In this one, Puccini's signature "verismo" style comes face to face with America's Wild West. It's as though an Italian potboiler has somehow landed in Deadwood! Surely, this is the only opera to feature phrases like, "Whiskey per tutti!" and "Hello regazzi," and to have one of its crucial moments decided by, "una partita a poker." The story is based on an American drama by David Belasco.

Puccini was a big fan of Belasco, who also wrote the play that inspired Madame Butterfly, and there's still a Broadway theater bearing Belasco's name. Puccini's Fanciulla was premiered in 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and it was an all-star affair. Dick Johnson was sung by the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso. Emmy Destinn was Minnie and Arturo Toscanini conducted. It was a popular and critical success from the beginning, but it does contain some of Puccini's most modern-sounding music and not everyone takes a liking to it the first time around. The character of Minnie was also something new for Puccini: She's a tough cookie, unlike the sad, put-upon, mostly doomed leading ladies of his other operas. In Fanciulla, Minnie takes gun, and fate, firmly in hand. Article continues after sponsorship On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone brings us a performance from a more pastoral New York locale than the Metropolitan. It's a production by Glimmerglass Opera, about 10 miles north of Cooperstown.

The Story of 'The Girl of the Golden West' Email August 17, 200712:01 AM ET Minnie and Dick Johnson, played by Emily Pulley and Roger Honeywell, dance a tentative waltz at Minnie's Polka Saloon. George Mott/Glimmerglass Opera hide caption toggle caption George Mott/Glimmerglass Opera As Dick Johnson is about to hang, Minnie jumps in to save him, in Glimmerglass Opera's production of The Girl of the Golden West. George Mott/Glimmerglass Opera hide caption toggle caption George Mott/Glimmerglass Opera ACT ONE: The opera is set during the Gold Rush of 1849, and opens at sunset in the Polka Saloon, owned by a woman named Minnie. Nick, the bartender, greets miners who wander in for drinks. Minnie is preparing to lead Bible studies, assisted by two Indians, Billy Jackrabbit and his girlfriend Wowkle. Miners known as Happy, Harry, Handsome and Joe sit down to play a game of cards, with a fellow named Sid as the overseer. But Sid is caught cheating, and the miners threaten to hang him.

Sheriff Jack Rance steps in to administer a little frontier justice. He pins a Two of Spades to Sid's chest as a mark of shame, and tells the others to spread the word: If Sid removes the card, he'll be shot on sight. Ashby, a Wells Fargo agent, shows up asking for Minnie. He also tells Sheriff Rance that he's closing in on a notorious bandit who goes by the name Ramerrez. Rance begins to brag that Minnie will soon be his wife. But Sonora taunts him, saying Minnie really loves him. It's no wonder. Nick has been telling every man who comes to the bar that Minnie is sweet on him — leading each one to buy rounds for the house to celebrate. Rance declares his love for Minnie, who brushes him off. Rance sings of his unhappy childhood and his gambling life, saying he'd give a fortune for just one kiss. Minnie says that's fine, but she's holding out for true love. Nick then brings in a stranger, who calls himself Dick Johnson, and has been asking for whiskey and water. Rance demands to know Johnson's business, but Minnie vouches for him.

It seems they've met before, and the two of them dance a waltz together. Ashby and a group of men drag in Jose Castro, a member of the Ramerrez gang. Castro says he has no loyalty to Ramerrez, and to save his own skin he offers to lead the men to the bandit's camp. Then, speaking privately to Johnson, Castro tells him that the gang is ready to rob the saloon and he's only leading Ashby and the others away as a ruse. Johnson is supposed to return a whistle as a signal that the coast is clear. Castro and the other men leave. Nick says that a bandit has been seen hanging around, which worries Minnie. But Johnson comforts her and agrees to come to her place for dinner. There's a whistle from outside, but Johnson doesn't return the signal. It seems an evening with Minnie is more important to him than another heist. ACT TWO: In Minnie's cabin Billy and Wowkle, her Indian servants, sing a lullaby to their child and talk about getting married. Minnie sends Billy away so she can dress for dinner with Dick Johnson.

Johnson shows up for their date and wonders about Minnie's unorthodox life among the rough and tumble miners. Minnie says she wouldn't have it any other way. After dinner, Johnson persuades Minnie to give him her very first kiss. He knows he shouldn't let things go further but a blizzard prevents him from leaving. Minnie says he can stay over; he can have her bed, and she'll sleep by the fire. Then they hear voices outside. Minnie hides Johnson behind the bed curtains and opens her door to find Rance, accompanied by Nick, Ashby and a miner called Sonora. They say they're worried about her. They've discovered that Dick Johnson is really the notorious bandit Ramerrez, and Nick saw him heading up the trail toward Minnie's cabin. Minnie tells them she's fine, and sends them away. Alone with Johnson again, she confronts him. He admits that he is Ramerrez, but begs for forgiveness and says he'll give up everything to be with her. Minnie says she can forgive him for being a bandit, but not for stealing her first kiss with a pack of lies. Johnson leaves, but as he closes the door behind him there's a gunshot.

Minnie goes to investigate and finds Johnson outside, wounded and bleeding. She brings him in, and helps him climb through a trapdoor into the attic just before Rance arrives. Minnie says Johnson isn't there and dares Rance to search her cabin. Rance is about to give up and go when a drop of blood falls from the ceiling. He orders Johnson to come downstairs. Johnson stumbles down the ladder, and passes out. Minnie challenges Rance to a game of poker. If she loses, she'll marry Rance. If Minnie wins, Rance must let her go off with Johnson. Rance accepts the terms. They play poker, best two hands out of three. It's a scene worthy of a classic, Hollywood Western — a tense showdown with life and death stakes, playing out with ominous music thrumming in the background. During the game, Minnie pretends to faint and switches her cards so she ends up with the winning hand. Rance is furious, but he holds up his end of the deal. He leaves, and Minnie tends to the wounded Johnson. ACT THREE: Some time later, Nick, Ashby and Sherrif Rance gather around a campfire.

Ashby says he thinks his men have caught up with Ramerrez — but it turns out to be a false alarm. They talk about how everything has changed since this "Johnson" appeared. The jealous Rance points to Minnie's cabin and says that before long, she'll see her lover at the end of a rope — and soon it looks like he's right. Johnson is finally captured. He's brought in tethered to his horse, and Billy is ordered to prepare the noose. Johnson says he's ready to die. His only request is that Minnie never be told that he's dead. He wants her to think that he's just fine, gone off to lead a new life somewhere else. Hearing him talk lovingly about Minnie is too much for Rance, who punches Johnson in the face. Johnson is about to hang when we hear Minnie's voice. She rides in on horseback and pleads for mercy for Johnson. When the men ignore her she draws a pistol, threatening to kill both Johnson and herself. The miners are divided over what to do. Then she reminds the men of all she's done for them, how she's helped every one of them in special ways, and they give in.

Outnumbered, Rance has no choice but to turn his prisoner loose. Minnie and Johnson are allowed to leave together, unharmed. The miners bid their darling Minnie a sad farewell and she and Johnson go off, singing, into the distance. The Girl of the Golden West | Michigan Opera Theatre The Girl of the Golden West The Girl of the Golden West Overview Puccini’s opera, set in the American West during the Gold Rush, brings to life the story of Minnie, a gun-toting, saloon-owning Sunday school teacher. All the cowboys want to marry Minnie. With a high-stakes poker game and the most romantic serenades from a bandit-turned-lover you’ll ever hear, The Girl of the Golden West is an opera worth going all-in for.

Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini Premiered in New York, 1910 Running time: about 2:25 Sung in Italian with projected English translations Artists Minnie April 1, 5, 8 Miller owns the kind of voice that made me sit up and take notice as soon as she launched into an excerpt from Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West. It’s a strong voice that’s pure throughout its range, and she wields it with the sure touch of an artist who understands the full range of emotions demanded by opera. -Broad Street Review Acclaimed for the expansive colors, rich tones and texture of her voice, soprano Meagan Miller is making celebrated debuts on important stages worldwide, interpreting the leading ladies of Mozart, Strauss, Verdi and Wagner.

Her compelling stage presence, intelligently nuanced portrayals and varied repertoire have been applauded at such distinguished opera houses as the Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg State Opera, New National Theatre Tokyo, Metropolitan Opera, Oper Leipzig, Opera Monte Carlo, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Volksoper Wien, Washington National Opera, and Wiener Staatsoper, among others. Orchestral engagements have taken Ms. Miller to such venues as Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, Hong Kong’s Cultural Center, Los Angeles‟s Hollywood Bowl, Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall, New York‟s Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall, Rotterdam‟s De Dolen, Scotland’s Edinburgh International Festival, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center. Minnie April 9 Melissa Citro gave unstintingly of a bright and beautiful voice, singing with the utmost security and power. Her portrayal of the unhappy heroine was fully nuanced, demonstrating a complete understanding of this complex character. The song to the moon was ravishingly sung. –Opera News In the 2015-16 season Ms.

Citro made her Washington Opera debut as Gutrune in their new production of Gotterdammerung, returned to New Orleans Opera as Rosilinde in Die Fledermaus, and made her debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony. Recent engagements include her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Freia in Das Rheingold, and Gutrune in Götterdämmerung, and her role debut as Sieglinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre with the Virginia Opera. Last season she covered Senta in Der Fliegende Hollander with San Francisco Opera, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera where she covered Renee Fleming in the title role in Dvořák’s Rusalka. Prior to that she joined the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera casts of The Makropulous Case, where she covered Karita Mattila as Emilia, and made her role debut as Senta in Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of Der Fliegende Hollander. In the 2014-15 season she performed the role of Rusalka with New Orleans Opera and the title role of La Wally in her debut with the Dallas Opera.

Future engagements include Minnie in La Fanciulla del West both with Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Colorado. The range of emotions Mr. Delavan can communicate with his half-divine, half-human voice appears limitless. —Wall Street Journal A singer of “incisive vocal power and fierce theatrical acuity,” Mark Delavan is sought after throughout the United States and Europe for the most demanding roles in his repertoire. He regularly appears in the title roles of Der Fliegende Holländer, Falstaff and Rigoletto, and as Iago in Otello, Scarpia in Tosca, Jochanaan in Salome, and Amonasro in Aida. In the summer of 2011, Mr. Delavan completed his first performances as Wotan/Wanderer in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen for San Francisco Opera’s new production by Francesca Zambello. Tenor Davila brings electrifying intensity to Sarasota Opera’s “Otello.” -South Florida Classical Review Tenor Rafael Davila has quickly risen to be one of the most sought after tenors of his generation.

With almost 60 roles already under his belt, in the 2014-15 season he debuted as Des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut under Maestro Plácido Domingo’s baton in Valencia, Dick Johnson in La Fanciulla del West and Don Jose in Carmen for Minnesota Opera, and Cavaradossi in Leipzig. 2015-16 engagements included a return to Washington National Opera as Don José in Carmen, Opera de Puerto Rico as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly opposite soprano Ana María Martínez, his debut with Chicago Lyric Opera in the world premiere of the opera Bel Canto, his return to Valencia for Aida, his debut with the Macerata Festival as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, and his return to Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Don Jose in Carmen. Jeff Gwaltney Dick Johnson Jeff Gwaltney is a handsome Ramerrez [Dick Johnson], physically and vocally confident, suggestively sliding a gun into his hostess’ holster in the cramped cabin of Act II.

-The Times UK Jeffrey Gwaltney was awarded the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Scholarship in 2010 and remained at the Washington National Opera under Maestro Domingo’s guidance until 2012. In season 2011, he was invited by Francesca Zambello to be a Glimmerglass Young Artist and returned to the festival in 2012. At Washington National Opera, his roles have included: Abdallo (Nabucco) and Normanno, as well as First Prisoner (Fidelio) with the National Symphony Orchestra. His cover roles included Cavaradossi, and Oreste (Iphigénie en Tauride) and Pinkerton. Brent Michael Smith Ashby As a Studio Artist with Michigan Opera Theatre last season, Bass Brent Smith sang Colline in La Bohème, Second S.S. Officer in The Passenger, the Doctor in Macbeth and The Speaker in The Magic Flute.

Last year he was an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, where his performance as Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del West received critical acclaim by Opera News as a “standout.” Colorado Music Buzz praised him for “making the most of his brief appearances.” He received his Master of Music degree under the tutelage of John Hines. He received his Bachelor’s in music in piano performance from Hope College (Holland, MI). Mr. Smith is a first-place winner in the Grand Rapids Opera Competition (2012). Jeff Byrnes Sonora Baritone Jeff Byrnes returned to Michigan Opera Theatre last season as a Studio Artist. He performed the roles of Schanuard in La Bohème, 1st SS Officer in The Passenger, Old Servant in Elektra and The Bonze in Madame Butterfly. Prior to joining MOT, he performed the role of Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking with Dayton Opera, and he covered Germont in La Traviata and Balstrode in Peter Grimes with Des Moines Metro Opera.

Other operatic highlights include Leporello in Don Giovanni and the title role in The Mikado with the Natchez Opera Festival, and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and Pilate in St. John Passion with CCM Opera. He was a regional finalist in the Rocky Mountain Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in 2014. Harry Greenleaf Jake Wallace Baritone Harry Greenleaf is a native of Wixom, Michigan. He is a proud alumnus of the Michigan State University College of Music, and received a Master of Music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In 2013 and 2014 he was a Studio Aritist with the Wolf Trap Opera Company. While there he sang the role of Baron Douphol in La traviata with the National Symphony Orchestra, and Monsieur Barbu in Les mamelles de Tirésias. In the summer of 2015 he was an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, covering the role of Sonora in La fanciulla del West.

In 2015 he debuted with Cincinnati Chamber Opera, singing The Pilot in The Little Prince. In the summer of 2016 he will perform with the Glimmerglass Festival as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd. He made his debut with Michigan Opera Theatre in 2016, singing the role of Top in The Tender Land, and will appear as Moralès in Carmen, Jake Wallace in La fanciulla del West, and Le Bret in Dr. David DiChiera’s Cyrano for the 2016-2017 season. Joseph Michael Brent Trin Joseph Michael Brent is an artist of Michigan Opera Theatre Studio. Last season he appeared as 3rd SS Officer in Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s The Passenger, Malcolm in Verdi’s Macbeth, and first armored man in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In 2015, Mr. Brent made both role and company debuts as Mayor Upfold in the Bronx Opera’s production of Albert Herring and Edgardo in the New York Opera Exchange production of Lucia di Lamermoor.

He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia in the fall of 2014 with a dissertation on selected vocal works of Giovanni Paolo Bottesini. He is a native New Yorker, a proud graduate of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, and holds an undergraduate degree from the conservatory of music at Purchase College S.U.N.Y. in double bass performance. He was a student of Metropolitan Opera baritone Frederick Burchinal. Hadleigh Adams Bello “A muscular stud in head-to-toe skintight leather…Overseeing all is the magician Zoroastro, sung by Hadleigh Adams with a dense yet flexible bass and a glowering presence, whether in the aforementioned leather, a pair of white briefs or a Santa Claus costume.” —New York Times New-Zealand born baritone Hadleigh Adams has received international acclaim for his performances on stage and in concert. He is renowned for his dynamic stage presence and ability to draw true, honest characters in his performances. His broad repertoire spans from Baroque and Bel Canto through Britten and contemporary composition. He has collaborated with some of today’s greatest artists on the concert platform, and on the opera stage.

Jonathan Blalock Harry In an opera in which all seven characters have complex and distinctive vocal sounds, Blalock was the evening’s standout performer. -Opera Warhorses Highly acclaimed for his work in 20th and 21st Century Opera, Jonathan has appeared in a number of world premieres, including Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier with Washington National Opera, The Secret Agent with the Center for Contemporary Opera in NYC and the Armel Festival in Hungary; Jorge Martin’s Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera; and Paul’s Case with Urban Arias, which Alex Ross in The New Yorker declared it as one of the top ten musical events of 2014, saying, “The tenor Jonathan Blalock was transfixing in the title role; Spears’s score glistened beautifully and eerily around him.” In addition, Jonathan sang The Electrician in Adès’ Powder Her Face with West Edge Opera, made his Virginia Opera debut as Cégeste in Philip Glass’ Orphée, and has sung in the same composer’s Hydrogen Jukebox with both West Edge Opera and Fort Worth Opera. Benjamin Robinson Joe Raleigh native Benjamin Robinson has the perfect tone and timbre for this music.

His care for clear diction was outstanding, as was his evoking emotions within the poems. – Classical Voice of North Carolina Benjamin Robinson, described as a “charming lyric tenor,” is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and is progressively becoming known for his “emphatic characterizations” and “easy vocal production and…luscious instrument.” This season Benjamin sang Basilio/Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with Salt Marsh Opera, Larry/Matt in The Face on the Barroom Floor with Chelsea Opera (“musically strong, dramatically satisfying” – Opera News) and the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. Briana Elyse Hunter Wowkle Mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter was a mesmerizing Carmen, contributing a fiery theatrical presence and dynamic vocalism. Hunter consistently displayed impressive fluidity in her flawless “Habanera” and “Seguidilla.” — Opera News Briana Hunter hails from Malvern, Pennsylvania where she was a student in the Great Valley School District, recognized for their strong music and theater programs.

In 2000 she had the unique pleasure of working with Tony and Academy Award winning playwright Mark Medoff in a production of his play Gunfighter–A Gulf War Chronicle. Ms. Hunter attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina and found herself on the stage once again, this time under the direction of the Royal Shakespeare Company in an original production double billed Infinite Variety/For Every Passion Something. The show would also have her call upon her vocal abilities as she presented “The Willow Song” from Rossini’s Othello in addition to playing the roles of Hippolyta in Midsummer Nights Dream and Lord Westmorland in Henry IV: Part I. The show debuted on the campus of Davidson College, and continued performances in the Fringe Festival in Scotland for an additional two week run. Back in North Carolina, Ms. Hunter went on to play Livia in Women Beware Women by Thomas Middleton, J.S. in Necessary Targets and “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could” The Vagina Monologues both by Eve Ensler, Karla Wonder of the World by David Lindsey-Abaire.

No stranger to the music department, she also performed in opera scenes including 2nd Lady Die Zauberflote and Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, and the title role of Josephine in a full production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. The Davidson Concert Choir awarded her the solo in John Corigliano’s Fern Hill. She went on to attend the prestigious Manhattan School of Music for Classical Voice where she performed in mainstage productions with the opera department (Summer and Smoke, La vida breve, Of Love and Loss: Opera Scenes, The Ghosts of Versailles). Wonderfully natural singing actor. — Chicago Tribune Through his innate sense of style, command of languages, and superior acting abilities, tenor Dennis Petersen is sought after for a variety of operatic roles, including Tristan in Tristan und Isolde, Florestan in Fidelio, the Captain in Wozzeck, Aegisth in Elektra, Canio in Pagliacci, and the title role in Peter Grimes. Synopsis ACT I A miners’ camp in California, 1849–50. At sunset at the Polka Saloon, Nick, the bartender, prepares for the miners’ return from the hills.

Jake Wallace, a traveling minstrel, sings a sentimental song that causes Jim Larkens to break down in tears. The men collect money for his passage back home. Trin and Sonora both bribe Nick to help them win the heart of Minnie, the owner of the bar, with whom all the men are in love. Sid cheats at cards, and Jack Rance, the camp’s cynical sheriff, marks him as an outcast. The Wells Fargo agent Ashby arrives with news of the imminent capture of the Mexican bandit Ramirrez and his band. An argument breaks out between Rance and Sonora, each claiming Minnie will be his wife. Things almost get out of hand when Minnie herself appears. The men calm down and sit to listen to Minnie’s bible teaching. Later, alone with her, Rance confesses his love to Minnie (“Minnie, della mia casa”). But she is not interested and, recalling her happy childhood, paints a different picture of her ideal love (“Laggiù nel Soledad”). A stranger appears in the bar, introducing himself as Dick Johnson from Sacramento. Minnie recognizes him as a man she once met on the road.

The jealous Rance orders Johnson to leave town, but when Minnie declares that she knows him, the others welcome Johnson. As he and Minnie dance, the miners drag in a man named Castro, one of Ramirrez’s band. Castro pretends that he will lead them to their hideout. He then whispers to Johnson—who is in fact Ramirrez—that he let himself be captured to lure the miners away from the saloon, in order for Johnson to rob it. The men depart with Castro, and Minnie and Johnson are left alone. She tells him about her simple life and that she is still waiting for her first kiss. When she shows him the hiding place where the miners keep their gold, he replies that as long as he is nearby, nobody will harm her or touch the gold. She shyly invites him to visit her in her cabin later that evening. ACT II In Minnie’s cabin in the mountains, the Indian woman Wowkle sings a lullaby to her baby and bickers with the child’s father, Billy Jackrabbit. Minnie arrives and excitedly prepares for her meeting with Johnson. Alone with him, she gives in to his declarations of love and they kiss.

Johnson, full of doubt as to how to tell her about his true identity, is about to leave, but she asks him to stay for the night as it has begun to snow. When several shots are heard, Johnson hides in the closet. Rance appears with some of the men and tells Minnie that they are concerned for her safety—they have discovered that Johnson is Ramirrez. Minnie claims to know nothing and the men leave. She then angrily confronts Johnson, who makes excuses about his past and declares that when he met her he decided to give up his former life. Deeply hurt, Minnie sends him away. Another shot rings out. Johnson, wounded, staggers back into the cabin and Minnie hides him in the attic. Rance returns, certain he has found his man, and demands to search the room. Minnie refuses and the sheriff is about to give up when a drop of blood falls on his hand from above. Johnson is forced to surrender, but Minnie has an idea—she challenges Rance to a game of poker. If he defeats her, she will give herself to him; if he loses, Johnson goes free. Minnie cheats and wins. Rance leaves.

ACT III Johnson has been nursed back to health by Minnie. Again on the run from Rance and his men, he is eventually captured in the forest. As the miners prepare to hang him, Johnson asks for one last mercy—that Minnie believe him free and far away (“Ch’ella mi creda”). Rance is enraged, but the men hesitate. At that moment, Minnie rides in, wielding a pistol. When her pleas to spare Johnson prove fruitless, she reminds then men how much they owe her. The miners finally give in and release Johnson. He and Minnie ride away to start a new life together. La fanciulla del West: The Girl of the Golden West | Blog – Opera Omaha La fanciulla del West: The Girl of the Golden West In Short Gun-totin’ barmaid Minnie fights for true love in Puccini’s “spaghetti western” opera, making her mark on a gold-rush California town with a rifle, virtue and a few cards up her sleeve.

After twice defending her lover Dick Johnson, the infamous bandit Ramírez, from the lawful intentions of the sheriff, Minnie wins the sympathy of the gold miners and leaves town to begin a new life with Dick—riding off into the sunset. The Girl of the Golden West, The Glimmerglass Festival Name that Tune Many listeners cite similarities between the song “Quello che tacete” sung by the character Dick Johnson and a section of “ The Music of the Night ” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera. While some listeners have claimed that this similarity is evidence of musical plagiarism on the part of Webber, it is very possible that it is yet another instance in the long-standing compositional practice of “borrowing.” Puccini himself borrowed from a collection of Zuni melodies recorded by ethnomusicologist Carlos Troyer. Although he intended to draw on these recordings while composing music for the native American character Wowkle, Puccini eventually made use of this source for the character Jake Wallace instead.

Opening Night Based on the play by American author David Belasco, La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) premiered on December 10, 1910 at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City and has since seen 104 performances with the company. This occasion marked the first ever world premiere to be performed at The Met, which was founded 30 years earlier in 1880, and was received with great excitement. The opera went on to be performed throughout Europe and was met with a highly successful German premier in March of 1913. While Puccini’s operas have been performed with great regularity in Omaha—Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, and Tosca account for three of the five most frequently performed operas in the city—2016 will mark the first time that La fanciulla del West has graced the Opera Omaha stage. The Girl of the Golden West, The Glimmerglass Festival Leave it to the Critics Although Puccini’s spaghetti western was well received during its U.S. premier in New York, it never reached the same extent of popularity in Europe, with an exception made for Germany.

In fact, the opera’s initial popularity dwindled over time, and overall audience opinions of the music and plot were mixed, to say the least. Despite this, Puccini himself believed La fanciulla del West to be one of his greatest works and many academics agree, calling the work a magnum opus for its fine musical craftsmanship. The Brightest Star Although La fanciulla del West was commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera, and the leading roles of Minnie and Dick Johnson were originally created for Met stars Emmy Destinn and Enrico Caruso, Puccini’s preferred performance of Minnie was given by Gilda dalla Rizza at the Opera de Monte-Carlo in 1921. Indeed, he is said to have made the following remark regarding this performance: “At last I have seen my true Fanciulla.” This 1921 production must have been spectacular, since coming from the composer himself, this was high praise indeed!

The Girl of the Golden West February 12 & 14, 2016 Apotheosis Opera returns Puccini’s ‘Girl of the Golden West” to NYC | Observer By James Jorden • 07/23/16 12:03pm Minnie (soprano Stacey Stofferahn) saves the day in ‘Girl of the Golden West’. Matthew Kipnis Of all the output of that most popular of all opera composers Giacomo Puccini, his 1910 melodrama Girl of the Golden West is surely the wild card: gorgeously crafted yet unappreciated, with a happy ending that leaves audiences heartbroken. The paradoxical nature of this opera held true this weekend when a rare revival of the challenging piece arrived not at Lincoln Center but in a smallish venue in East Harlem, presented by a company you probably never heard of. The group is called Apotheosis Opera, and if not everything about Friday night’s performance of Girl at El Museo del Barrio was pure gold, the company succeeded in the most basic mission of opera: music and drama grabbed the audience by the heart and never let go. The premise of Girl is admittedly odd.

During the California Gold Rush of 1849, Minnie, a saloon owner, falls in love with Sacramento dude Johnson, only to discover that he is in fact the notorious bandit Ramirez. What elevates this story is Puccini’s sweeping use of harmonies based on the whole tone scale, a soundscape evoking the vast expanses of the American West. The music captures as well the loneliness of the frontier: the miners’ homesickness for their families a continent away, as well as the longing of the offbeat, damaged characters of Minnie and Johnson for human connection. In the end, it’s not a love story, but rather a sad reminder that you can never go home again. Yes, the lovers go off into the sunset together, but they leave behind the bereft miners, who have lost their beloved Minnie. For the two difficult leading roles, Apotheosis fielded committed, full-voiced singers who lacked only the ultimate in star power to bring these oversized characters to life. Soprano Stacey Stofferahn’s Minnie began a little cautiously, then sent her confident, bright high B’s and C’s sailing in the dramatic second act.

As Johnson, Nicholas Simpson sang with reliable power if too prim a tone for this hot-blooded character. More Italianate in style was baritone John Dominick III as the lustful Sheriff Rance, undaunted by the part’s mercilessly high tessitura. Though the opera was originally written to an Italian libretto, this production used a casual and idiomatic English-language version by Kelley Rourke that amped up the show’s immediacy. Lucca Damilano’s production kept the human drama front and center. Had Matthew Jenkins Jaroszewicz’s conducting simply prevented the large orchestra from falling into chaos, that would have been miracle enough. But the young maestro led with nuance and sensitivity throughout, which under the circumstances should have been impossible. Doing the impossible, though, is a major bullet point in any opera company’s mission statement. Of all the exciting new companies springing up all over New York, Apotheosis Opera belongs near the head of the class. Observer

Question: Who wrote the opera 'Girl of the Golden West' in 1910?
Answer: Puccini